Cassoulet

Although there are innumerable versions of cassoulet, most are based on a stew of white beans and various forms of pork. The dish gets its name from the pot it's traditionally baked in, the cassole. This version includes duck confit and the French garlic sausages that are a specialty of Toulouse.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  2:30 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 1.5 litres veal stock
• 1 small pork hock
• ½ bunch thyme sprigs
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 bulb garlic
• 200 g free-range boneless pork belly
• 2 duck leg, confit
• 3 Toulouse sausages
• 1 small carrot, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 375 g dried haricot or cannellini beans, soaked overnight
• 150 g brioche crumbs
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

This recipe need to be started 1 day in advance.

Resting time: 20 minutes

Instructions

1. Bring the stock to a simmer in an ovenproof pot. Add pork hock to the simmering stock along with half the thyme. Place a lid to cover the pot and ensure the stock doesn’t reduce too quickly. Simmer the pork for 1 hour.
2. Remove hock from the pot and strain the stock. Reserve. Take the meat off the hock bone and chop into generous pieces.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C.
4. Rub the pork belly with the salt and leave to rest for 20 minutes. Place the pork on a roasting tray, skin-side up. Wrap garlic bulb in foil with a little salt and olive oil. Place in the oven with the pork. Roast until the pork skin is crispy, about 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to rest.
5. Heat some oil in a frying pan and sear the pork belly skin side down. Pan fry until golden. In the same pan sear the duck legs, add the sausages, frying until duck and sausages are golden, set aside.
6. In a casserole pan, heat some oil and add the carrot, onion and tomato and sauté for 5 minutes until soft. Add the bay leaf, the remaining thyme and soaked beans.
7. Cut the pork belly and duck legs, in halves, you should have 4 pcs each. Add them to the pot among the beans, leaving the pork belly skin-side up. Add the sausages and pork hock pieces. Press the garlic cloves out of the skin and add to the pot, then add the reserved liquid from the pork hock, but add only enough to cover the beans. Bake for 1 hour.
8.  Mix crumbs, parsley & chopped garlic. Sprinkle the crumbs mix on top of the cassoulet. Bake the cassoulet in the oven for 10 more minutes, or until the crumbs are golden.

 

Note

• You can purchase confit duck legs at speciality butchers and supermarkets.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.